Theres no Test rugby this weekend but there are still loads of games taking place, with matches in the Currie Cup, Magners League, ITM Cup, Aviva Premiership, and the French Top 14. Here is a short clip from the Top 14 last weekend, the type of try you definitely dont see very often, if at all.

It comes from Racing Metros impressive 43-18 win over newcomers La Rochelle, who after having kicked a penalty, were caught off guard at the restart as Francois Steyn took it quickly. Flying Fijian Sireli Bobo was wide awake and quick enough to chase the well placed kick and cross for a try that would have incensed the opposition.

Steyn, who took a bit of stick for his performances for the Springboks in the Tri Nations, offers that something extra and while he can be error prone, hes shown that hes not afraid to back his own ability.

He has also recently stated that one of the things he likes about the Top 14 is that hes allowed to try things, which obviously suits of player of his natural ability.

Another star, Juan Martin Hernandez, made his first start for the club but unfortunately went off before half time after he was hit hard in two big tackles. He will be out of action for two weeks with a thigh injury.

Questions could be asked of the legality of this try, considering that Bobo was perhaps a foot or so ahead of the moment Steyn made contact with the ball. It was still a neat piece of play by the two of them though and I thought it would be interested to share.

Have a good weekend, watch as much as you can, and get in touch as soon as you see something you think should be shown here next week. Cheers.

I agree with Steve-o, if you allow such things it's again a massive difference between professional rugby and amateur (where you would have to get the ball back to mid-field before kicking).
Moreover this would lead to teams leaving backs in their half at each penalty kick attempt, that's ridiculous...

I agree with Steve-o, if you allow such things it's again a massive difference between professional rugby and amateur (where you would have to get the ball back to mid-field before kicking).
Moreover this would lead to teams leaving backs in their half at each penalty kick attempt, that's ridiculous...

I was under the impression that the other team had to all be on their half before restart, but to be honest I've never chalked that up to any specific rule...and looking in the lawbook, it doesn't really specify anything regarding quick kick-offs.

I was under the impression that the other team had to all be on their half before restart, but to be honest I've never chalked that up to any specific rule...and looking in the lawbook, it doesn't really specify anything regarding quick kick-offs.

Surely you can only take a quick restart if you use the same ball as was used for the kick...same rule as with a quick lineout.
(btw, anon, it doesn't matter if it bounced before the 10m line, so long as no Racing player touches it before it crosses the line)

Surely you can only take a quick restart if you use the same ball as was used for the kick...same rule as with a quick lineout.
(btw, anon, it doesn't matter if it bounced before the 10m line, so long as no Racing player touches it before it crosses the line)

Right, anonymous. So, to me, this seemed like not only should play have stopped (due to opposition players in the kicking team's half), but the ball failing to travel 10m before hitting the ground should've been reason enough for the referee to give a scrum at half way or a re-kick.

...and that's not to mention the point about Sireli Bobo possibly being in front of Steyn anyways.

Whatever, doesn't much matter to complain about it. It was a sneaky play and Steyn/Racing got away with it, so good for them. Though it definitely doesn't help the image of French referees as being a bit..."loose".

Right, anonymous. So, to me, this seemed like not only should play have stopped (due to opposition players in the kicking team's half), but the ball failing to travel 10m before hitting the ground should've been reason enough for the referee to give a scrum at half way or a re-kick.

...and that's not to mention the point about Sireli Bobo possibly being in front of Steyn anyways.

Whatever, doesn't much matter to complain about it. It was a sneaky play and Steyn/Racing got away with it, so good for them. Though it definitely doesn't help the image of French referees as being a bit..."loose".

at least two posters have said that the ball must travel 10m before touching the ground. This is absolutely NOT the law. The law is that the ball must travel 10m before it can be touched by a member of the kicking team...

at least two posters have said that the ball must travel 10m before touching the ground. This is absolutely NOT the law. The law is that the ball must travel 10m before it can be touched by a member of the kicking team...

This is one of those examples they should show to refs in training to see if they know their rules!

As pointed out, the ball can bounce before the 10 metre line, as long as it travels over the 10 metre line without one of Steyn's team mates touching the ball within 10 metres of the restart.

To my knowledge, not all players have to be in their half before the game restarts - I saw a similar quick restart from a French player a couple of years ago.

Bobo was ahead of Steyn, so technically not a try, but I guess that happens at a lot of restarts, and it is often missed. Not good, but understandable. Bobo wasn't over the half way line when the ball was kicked.

I am not sure if the rule book says a quick restart needs to be taken with the same ball, as is the case with a lineout. It would be interesting to know if this rule also applies to 22 metre restarts, tap penalties, quick free-kicks etc. (although not as relevant for the last 2).

Steyn is a clever player, but struggles in South African rugby because he has games where for every moment of genius, he makes 2 mistakes. South African rugby likes reliable, effective, safe players and struggles to bring the best out of mercurial players.

This is one of those examples they should show to refs in training to see if they know their rules!

As pointed out, the ball can bounce before the 10 metre line, as long as it travels over the 10 metre line without one of Steyn's team mates touching the ball within 10 metres of the restart.

To my knowledge, not all players have to be in their half before the game restarts - I saw a similar quick restart from a French player a couple of years ago.

Bobo was ahead of Steyn, so technically not a try, but I guess that happens at a lot of restarts, and it is often missed. Not good, but understandable. Bobo wasn't over the half way line when the ball was kicked.

I am not sure if the rule book says a quick restart needs to be taken with the same ball, as is the case with a lineout. It would be interesting to know if this rule also applies to 22 metre restarts, tap penalties, quick free-kicks etc. (although not as relevant for the last 2).

Steyn is a clever player, but struggles in South African rugby because he has games where for every moment of genius, he makes 2 mistakes. South African rugby likes reliable, effective, safe players and struggles to bring the best out of mercurial players.

Nothing wrong with the ball bouncing before the 10 metre line. That's OK as long as it made it to the 10 metre line (before being touched by a Racing player that is).

But still a couple of problems with this.

(1) Racing player in front of the kicker (Law 13.3 -- scrum to La Rochelle)

(2) La Rochelle players not behind their own 10 metre line when the kick-off was taken (Law 13.4 -- Racing to kick off again).

What I'm not sure about here is the effect of the Advantage Law on Law 13.4. Assuming there was no infringement in (1) (i.e. all the Racing players were behind the kicker) can the referee play advantage to Racing where the La Rochelle players are not all back 10 metres their own side of half way? Or is Law 13.4 to be strictly enforced (with no option of advantage)?

(3) Different Ball?
I was always under the impression that a quick kick-off had to be taken using the same ball (which this one wasn't) BUT looking through the laws I couldn't find any reference to that (unlike law 19.2(d) which says you have to use the same ball for a quick throw-in). So maybe it's within the letter of the law to use a different ball at a quick kick-off. If so, I think the law EITHER needs to be changed to say that you can only take do a quick kick-off using the same ball OR we need referees to strictly enforce law 13.4 so you can't have a team taking a quick kick-off with a different ball before the opposition has retired behind their own 10 metre line.

I've nothing against quick kick-offs, but I think having a ball waiting for you on half-way to take one before the opposition has retired to the 10 metre line is not really within the spirit of the game.

Nothing wrong with the ball bouncing before the 10 metre line. That's OK as long as it made it to the 10 metre line (before being touched by a Racing player that is).

But still a couple of problems with this.

(1) Racing player in front of the kicker (Law 13.3 -- scrum to La Rochelle)

(2) La Rochelle players not behind their own 10 metre line when the kick-off was taken (Law 13.4 -- Racing to kick off again).

What I'm not sure about here is the effect of the Advantage Law on Law 13.4. Assuming there was no infringement in (1) (i.e. all the Racing players were behind the kicker) can the referee play advantage to Racing where the La Rochelle players are not all back 10 metres their own side of half way? Or is Law 13.4 to be strictly enforced (with no option of advantage)?

(3) Different Ball?
I was always under the impression that a quick kick-off had to be taken using the same ball (which this one wasn't) BUT looking through the laws I couldn't find any reference to that (unlike law 19.2(d) which says you have to use the same ball for a quick throw-in). So maybe it's within the letter of the law to use a different ball at a quick kick-off. If so, I think the law EITHER needs to be changed to say that you can only take do a quick kick-off using the same ball OR we need referees to strictly enforce law 13.4 so you can't have a team taking a quick kick-off with a different ball before the opposition has retired behind their own 10 metre line.

I've nothing against quick kick-offs, but I think having a ball waiting for you on half-way to take one before the opposition has retired to the 10 metre line is not really within the spirit of the game.

I know in real time it looks like Bobo is ahead of Steyn when he kicks but if you move it frae by frame (or as best you can with this video), at best he has one foot over the halfway line as Steyn strikes the ball and only looks well offside because he has already built up considerable pace by that point. To call him for offside looking at it that way would be VERY harsh, even if my the centimetre correct.

I know in real time it looks like Bobo is ahead of Steyn when he kicks but if you move it frae by frame (or as best you can with this video), at best he has one foot over the halfway line as Steyn strikes the ball and only looks well offside because he has already built up considerable pace by that point. To call him for offside looking at it that way would be VERY harsh, even if my the centimetre correct.

There's no rule about the same ball on a quick restart because there is no such thing as a "quick restart". It is the exact same action as a regular restart, it's not a fundamentally different beast.

A quick throw-in is a completely different action than a regular lineout, so there must be rules regarding when it's allowed to be taken.

This restart is simply the same thing as a regular kickoff but done faster. The same laws apply. And that 13.4 law for the receiving team to be back is to protect the kicking team (which is why the law mentions charging), so I'm sure it's subject to the same concepts of advantage as other laws.

Think of it this way, if it were a law designed to ensure that the receiving team was in proper position, it could easily be manipulated to slow a game down. Say the game was tied, then you kicked a penalty to make it a 3-point lead, and you wanted to eat up time. You would have your props take a slow walk all the way back to your 10m line as the other team waited to restart.

There's no rule about the same ball on a quick restart because there is no such thing as a "quick restart". It is the exact same action as a regular restart, it's not a fundamentally different beast.

A quick throw-in is a completely different action than a regular lineout, so there must be rules regarding when it's allowed to be taken.

This restart is simply the same thing as a regular kickoff but done faster. The same laws apply. And that 13.4 law for the receiving team to be back is to protect the kicking team (which is why the law mentions charging), so I'm sure it's subject to the same concepts of advantage as other laws.

Think of it this way, if it were a law designed to ensure that the receiving team was in proper position, it could easily be manipulated to slow a game down. Say the game was tied, then you kicked a penalty to make it a 3-point lead, and you wanted to eat up time. You would have your props take a slow walk all the way back to your 10m line as the other team waited to restart.